macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install gptsynclocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 13093
Install gptsync with Homebrew
GPT and MBR partition tables synchronization tool. Version 0.14 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
GPT and MBR partition tables synchronization tool
Project links
Commands and aliases
- gptsync
- showpart
history
Project history and usage
gptsync is the GPT-to-MBR partition table synchronization utility from the rEFIt EFI boot toolkit. Its niche is Intel Mac dual-boot maintenance, where legacy BIOS-style operating systems expected an MBR view of a disk that was really partitioned with GPT.
Project history
rEFIt began as an EFI boot menu and maintenance toolkit for Intel Macs. Its version history records a first public release on 2006-03-02 and says version 0.7, released on 2006-05-14, added a tool to synchronize GPT and MBR partition tables.
The rEFIt project later stopped active maintenance and pointed users toward rEFInd, a fork. gptsync remains packaged separately in Homebrew as a small system utility extracted from that older rEFIt codebase.
Adoption history
gptsync mattered most during the Intel Mac and Boot Camp era, when hybrid GPT/MBR layouts were a practical compatibility layer for booting Windows or other legacy systems.
The tool's adoption is therefore narrow but historically useful: it appears in package managers because disk-repair and dual-boot workflows sometimes need the utility without installing the full rEFIt boot menu.
How it is used
The utility reads a device's GPT partition table and synchronizes the legacy MBR view. It is a low-level disk tool, so usage belongs in recovery, bootloader, or dual-boot maintenance contexts rather than routine application workflows.
Why package nerds care
gptsync is a classic small extracted utility: package managers keep it around because it solves a specific historical systems problem and has almost no substitute inside general application stacks.
Timeline
- 2006-03-02: rEFIt 0.1 first public release.
- 2006-05-14: rEFIt 0.7 adds the GPT/MBR synchronization tool.
- 2007-03-25: rEFIt 0.9 improves gptsync filesystem and partition handling.
- 2010-03-07: rEFIt 0.14 adds support for additional partition types in gptsync.
- 2013-03-29: rEFIt site states the project is no longer actively maintained and points users to rEFInd.
Related projects
- rEFIt is the parent EFI boot menu and maintenance toolkit.
- rEFInd is the successor fork named by the rEFIt project page.
- GPT fdisk solves adjacent GPT and hybrid-MBR maintenance problems, but it is a separate project.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:sync
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
gptsync | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
showpart | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version0.14
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:gptsync |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.14 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://refit.sourceforge.net/ |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation